Made in DNA
A brilliant book of well-rounded characters and a lavish dystopian world. All at once it manages to be urban fantasy, science fiction and fantasy.
When the protagonist takes on an unusal job from an even more unusual client, he unleashes a terrible evil upon the city that can siphon dreams from sentient beings, leaving them a shallow husk. Engaging the aide of friends and associates alike, and enraging both the city government and a powerful drug lord (for whom which his girlfriend has secretly gone to work), he must race against time to save them all.
A stunning, hard-hitting ending (which I will not give away) to a well-written, well thought-out book. Biopunk in the vein of Ribofunk by Paul Di Filippo. A scary world of mega-corporation domination, looming eco-disaster, and political backstabbing. A story that masterfully divides the narrative between several characters, none of whom are truly the protagonist, and none of whom are the clear epitome of good or evil, which is a breath of fresh air.
After I received the book, I was disappointed to see the cover blurb: I hope he writes 10 sequels – as I was fearful I had just purchased a novel that was going to require me to purchase a second or third to finish it. I'm not a fan of that. Yes, I like long work, but I like to know in advance that I will need to invest more so I can make an informed purchase. However, after finishing the novel, I couldn't agree with the cover blurb more. This is a novel set in a world that deserves to have more stories told. So I will definitely be picking up Pump Six and Other Stories (a collection of short stories set thus).
When I first read these as a kid, I was enthralled. Reading them again as an adult, and I was excited all over again. Not only does Daley touch the heart of the Star Wars universe with his writing, he imbues with with an innate understanding of adventure.
All three interconnecting stories are family-friendly fare that can make reading nights with the kids enjoyable for all, or just provide some awesome thrills for those in love with SW. Thrills, battles, bad guys, lost armies of robots, and thugs abound, what's not to love about the roguish Han Solo and his faithful companion Chewbacca?
Clean transition from paper to digital copy.
It is difficult to pinpoint where the novel thrives; it is at once fiction and yet flows in and out of theology, philosophy and “faux” non-fiction like a tide caressing a beach. Truly unique in vision and scope, it is not completely for the casual fiction reader, but those dedicated readers who love complete focus as they follow the protagonist Cleric20 through L2, a post-cyberpunk world of grim quirk and loud guns to go from zero to hero all at the behest of the very devil himself. Imaginative and bold.
I'm half way through the book and wondering where this is going to go, why it has deviated from the main character, and if I should bother to continue. It's not bad, but it's not wow'ing me either.
For those who enjoy long-winded space operas.